Sweet Mama Dog Takes in Motherless Kittens

When a lady dropped off these three kittens at the Animal Shetler of Pickens County in Jasper, Georgia, they had no mother to take care of them. Mary the dog quickly welcomed the kittens into her own litter of pups, and as you can see in the video, took very good care of them.

She even licks their little behinds to stimulate them, just like a mama cat would! Watch at about 1:45 when one of the kittens walks to the edge of the cage, and Mary comes to retrieve her. The kitten digs her little claws into the blanket, but Mary drags her back into the cage anyway! So cute!

Why do animals often take on babies that aren’t their own, or aren’t even of the same species? No one knows for sure, but in the case of a mother who has recently given birth, it might be because they have a high level of oxytocin, which is sometimes called the “bonding hormone”.

No matter the reason, we are glad that Mary has taken in these adorable little kittens. Wouldn’t you love to see if they have developed any “doggish” ways when they are older?